A Bognor Regis supermarket which faces having its premises licence revoked will have to wait until next month for a decision.
Arun District Council’s licensing sub-committee was due to decide the future of Bucharest Supermarket in London Road today, Friday, September 18.
However, councillors decided to adjourn after recent applications to transfer the premises licence and appoint a new designated premises supervisor were noted. The committee said that the outcome of these applications could be relevant to the review.
Further information and representations had also been submitted by the current licence holder shortly before the meeting.
Councillors agreed that more time was needed to consider the material and ensure all relevant information was available before a decision was made.
West Sussex County Council’s Trading Standards applied for the review of the licence in June, after concerns around the prevention of crime and disorder and the protection of children from harm.
The application followed an inspection at the supermarket in March, in which officers seized 1,440 cigarettes and 200g of hand-rolling tobacco in non-standard packaging.
Trading Standards said the cigarettes were not labelled in English and were not UK-duty-paid.
The application also refered to a test purchase conducted in March, when two packets of L&M Red were bought from the shop. The cigarettes were later tested by the brand holder and found to be counterfeit, according to Trading Standards.
The business had previously been subject to a review in 2023, which resulted in a two month suspension from January 2024.
Trading Standards is asking the committee to revoke the licence, saying it believes the premises has been used for the storage and supply of illicit tobacco.
However, documents submitted ahead of the meeting showed ADM Foods Ltd had applied to become the new premises licence holder, with Klaudia Blysz as the new designated premises supervisor.
The company has also proposed to change the name of the shop to ‘Polish Market’.
ADM Foods Ltd asked for the licence not to be revoked and offered new conditions instead, such as stock checks, supplier records and CCTV. The company stated these changes would mean the previous management would have no ownership or control at the premises.
The hearing has now been rescheduled for October 19.
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